Farmington area state rep hosts movie, panel on for-profit schools

State Rep. Christine Greig (D‐Farmington Hills) will host a viewing of the film “Backpack Full of Cash” December 11, followed by a panel discussion on the for-profit charter school movement in Michigan.

The free event held from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Costick Activities Center in Farmington Hills, will feature special guests and discussion panelists state Rep. Darrin Camilleri (D-Brownstown Township); Michigan State Board of Education Co-President Casandra Ulbrich, Ph.D.; American Federation of Teachers K-12 policy analyst Nate Walker; and charter school parent and 482Forward representative Star Roland.

“The decision about where to send your children for an education is a deeply personal one, and in recent years, Michigan parents have seen an explosion of options in terms of educational choices,” Greig said in a press release. “Many parents aren’t aware, however, that for-profit companies manage the day-to-day operations of many of the charter schools in Michigan. In fact, Michigan has the highest percentage of charter schools run by for-profit education management organizations of any state in the country. Parents — and taxpayers — deserve to know the ramifications of this for-profit education movement.”

Earlier this month, Greig and other House Democrats unveiled the School FACT Act, a set of bills that would bring disclosure and accountability standards and reforms to EMOs and charter school authorizers to bring them in line with the expectations held of traditional public schools and charter schools. About 10 percent of Michigan school children attend charter schools, and about 10 percent of School Aid Fund dollars flows to charter schools.

The Costick Center is located at 28600 W. 11 Mile Rd. in Farmington Hills.

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